Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plans to hire 5,000 new recruits, thousands with strong software skills to enhance the luxury carmaker's focus on autonomous and electric vehicle technology.
The UK-based JLRsaid more than 1,000 of the new roles would go to electronic and software engineers, who will be set code-breaking challenges through an app in partnership with virtual band Gorillaz.
The remaining jobs will include manufacturing positions, majority of them being based in the UK.
"As the automotive industry transforms over the next decade, fuelled by software innovation, we have to attract the best talent and that requires a radical rethink of how we recruit," said Alex Heslop, JLR's head of electrical engineering.
"Here we've found an engaging way to recruit a diverse talent pool in software systems, cyber systems, app development and graphics performance. It will be the first of its kind," he said.
JLR is the UK's biggest car manufacturer and one of the country's largest exporters, with about 80 per cent of its 24 -billion-pound annual revenues generated from cars sold abroad.
The brand, which has seen a remarkable turnaround since the Tata Group took over the struggling company in 2008, has indicated that half of all its new models will be available in an electric version by the end of the decade.
The company is set to build its first electric vehicle, the I-PACE, in Austria, necessitating the latest recruitment drive.
"The best performers will be fast-tracked through the recruitment process, helping to meet Jaguar Land Rover's ambition to employ thousands of bright new talents over the next year. It's a major change in the way the business looks for candidates, aiming to tackle the engineering skills gap, inspire and attract a diverse range of talent and new thinking," JLR said in a statement.
Potential candidates will be set challenges via the app, including assembling the Jaguar I-PACE Concept, Jaguar's first all-electric five-seater sports car.
There will also be code-breaking challenges to test applicants' "curiosity, persistence, lateral thinking and problem solving skills".
The Tata Group company, which employs 40,000 people globally, has said it would continue to accept applications through traditional routes, via a CV through the JLR careers website.
The news comes against the backdrop of concerns over the impact of Brexit on the UK automotive industry.
There are fears of a potential loss of competitiveness, which would require compensation to maintain the industry's work in Britain.
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